Method of forming pressed metal wheel disks



y 23, 1944- F. H. L E JEUNE 2;349,738

METHOD OF FORMING PRESSED METAL WHEEL DISKS Filed March 30, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENT OR. Fr'a/m '/i Le Jeane May 23, 1944. F. H. LE JEUNE 2,349,733

METHOD OF 'FORMING PRESSED METAL WHEEL 'DISKS I Filed March 30, 1942 S Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Frank /7! LeJeune BY ,4 rromwsrs.

- May 23, 1944. F H. LE JEUNE 2,349,733

METHOD OF FORMING PRESSED METAL WHEEL DISKS Filed March so, 1942 s Sheets-Sheet s 15 I44 17 I l w ll \ZJZ- INVENTOR. Frank A! Lufiuma A rrok/VEKSl Patented May 23, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF FORMING PRESSED METAL WHEEL DISKS Frank H. Le Jeune, Detroit, Mich, assignor to Kelsey-Hayes Wheel Company, Detroit, M1ch., a corporation of Delaware Application March 30, 1942, Serial No. 436,893

2 Claims.

The invention relates to methods of forming pressed metal disks and refers more particularly to methods of forming pressed metal disks for motor vehicle wheels.

The invention has for one of its objects to provide an improved method of forming disks of the desired predetermined cross sectional dimensions.

The invention has for another object to form a disk from a flat sheet metal strip by a method including a series of die-pressing steps for expanding and contracting the blanks.

The invention has for a further object to control the expansion of the metal within predetermined limits to keep the metal Within the elongation limits and to compel the desired upsetting of the metal during its contraction to thereby secure the desired predetermined cross sectional dimensions. l

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan View of the original blankwhich is to be fashioned into a disk by the method of manufacture embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an end view thereof;

Figures 3, 4, and 5 are end views illustrating the blank formed during successive steps in the method;

Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 are sectional views illustrating other successive stepstin the method;

Figure 10 is a view illustrating successive shapes of blanks formed by the method.

The invention relates to the manufacture of disks and is particularly applicable to the manufacture of pressed metal disks for the wheels of motor vehicles, and especially trucks.

In carrying out the method, I start with the sheet metal blank I of Figures 1 and 2 preferably formed of strip sheet steel stock of uniform thickness and predetermined width and cut to predetermined length, the blank having rounded edges or rolled selvages at its sides. The blank I is hooped into the substantially cylindrical blank 2, illustrated in Figure 3, after which its ends are Welded together at 3, as illustrated in Figure A, following which the inside Weld flash and the outside weld flash are trimmed producing the endless substantially cylindrical blank 4 of Figure 5 having continuous cylindrical inner and outer faces.

After the blank 4 is formed, it is die-pressed, as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, to form the flange.

bowled blank 5. The apparatus comprises the expanding and contracting dies 6 and '1, respectively, which are relatively movable axially toward each other and which operate upon the substantially cylindrical'blank 4 to progressively expand the lower portion thereof toward its lower end to form the outer bowled part 8 having the substantially straight-line frusto conical portion 9 and the enlarged terminal curved portion Ill tangent to the frusto-conical portion. The dies also act to progressively contract the remaining portion of the substantially cylindrical blank 4 toward its upper end to form an inner bowled part I I tangent tothe frusto-conical portion 9 of the outer bowled part 8. The expansion is controlledby forming the die 6 with the annular shoulder 12 which is engageable with the free edge of the terminal curved portion II! to limit its expansion. As a result,

the expansion is maintained Within .the elongation limit of the steel and, furthermore, the contraction and upsetting of the metal forming the inner bowled part is controlled.

The bowled blank 5 is then die-pressed in the apparatus illustrated in Figure 8, which comprises the dies I3 and I4 cooperating to form the flared blank I5. The dies I3 and I4 are relatively movable axially of and toward each other to progressively expand the frusto-conical portion 9 and the terminal curved portion IE1 of the outer bowled part toward its free end and to form an outer substantially straight-line frustoconical flared part I6 in which the former terminal curved portion is now a part of the frustoconical flared part. The dies I3 and I4 also progressively contract the inner bowled part II toward its free end to form an inner curved flared part I! tangent to the outer flared part. It will be noted that the die I4 is formed with the annular shoulder I 8 engageable with the free edge of the outer flared part I6 to limit its expansion and to control the flow of the steel to secure the desired cross sectional dimensions.

After the flared blank I5 has been formed, it is then die-pressed by the apparatus illustrated in Figure 9 comprising the cooperating dies I9 and 20 which bend the outer and inner flared parts I6 and I1, respectively, to form the substantially axial flange 2| and the substantially radial flange 22, respectively, and also to form the intermediate body portion 23 having the annular shoulder 24 at the outer periphery of th radial flange 22 and the gradually curved portion 25 between the annular shoulder and the substantially axial The blank formed by the dies I9 and 20 is a truck wheel disk having the desired predetermined cross sectional dimensions which progressively decrease from the inner edge of the radial flange to the free edge of the axial flange. The radial flange serves as the bolting-on flange of the wheel disk and the axial flange serves as the attachment or securement flange for the tire carrying rim.

Figure illustrates the successive shapes of the blanks of Figures 5, '7, 8 and 9, the cylindrical blank 4 being shown in dotted lines, the bowled blank 5 in dash lines, the flared blank in dotdash lines, and the final formed truck wheel blank in full lines. the bowling of the blank 4, the major portion is expanded and the inner portion contracted to produce the bowled blank 5. It will also be noted that the terminal curved portion IU of the bowled blank facilitates the flaring in that it reduces wear upon the flaring die I t. It will also be noted that during the flaring of the bowled blank 5 its axial length is decreased and the radius of curvature of the inner flared part is maintained substantially the same as that of the inner bowled part. It will also be noted that during the final forming of the flared blank l5 its axial length is decreased and its maximum diameter is increased. It will further be noted that the expanding and contracting of the blanks respectively stretches and upsets the metal, thereby reducing and increasing its thickness.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In the method of forming a pressed metal wheel disk, the die-pressing step of shaping a substantially cylindrical blank by progressively expanding within vpredetermined limits a portion of the blank toward one of its ends to form an outer bowled part having a substantially straightline frusto-conical portion and a terminal curved portion of increasing diameter toward its free end and by progressively contracting at the same time the remaining portion of the blank toward a the other of its ends to form. an inner bowled part tangent to the outer bowled part, the diepressing step of flaring and decreasing the axial It will be noted that during 4 length of the bowled blank by progressively expanding the frusto-conical portion and the terminal curved portion toward the free end of the latter to form an outer substantially straight-line frusto-conical flared part and by progressively contracting at the same time the inner bowled part toward its free end to form an inner curved flared part tangent to the outer flared part, and the die-pressing step of shaping the flared blank by bending the outer and inner flared parts to form a substantially axial flange and a substantially radial flange respectively.

2. In the method of forming a pressed metal wheel disk, the die-pressing step of shaping a substantially cylindrical metal blank by progressively expanding a portion of the blank toward one of its ends to form an outer bowled part having a substantially straight-line frusto-conical portion and a terminal curved portion of increasing diameter toward its free end and by progressively contracting at the same time the remaining portion of the blank toward the other of its ends to form an inner bowled part tangent to the outer bowled part, controlling the expanding and contracting operations during the first mentioned step by limiting movement'of the terminal curved portion, the die-pressing step of flaring and decreasing the axial length of the bowled blank by progressively expanding the frusto-conical portion and the terminal curved portion toward the free end of the latter to form an outer substantially straight-line frusto-conical flared part and by progressively contracting at the same time the inner bowled part toward its free end to form an inner curved flared part tangent to the outer flared part, controlling the expanding operation during the second mentioned step by limiting movement of the outer flared part and thereby controlling the flow of the metal of the outer and inner flared parts and die-pressing and shaping the flared blank by bending the outer and inner flared parts to form a substantially axial flange and a substantially radial flange respectively.

FRANK H. LE JEUNE. 

